The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:30 The Graceful Commentary

0:32 on the book "Identification Cards

0:35 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

0:38 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah al-Baqarah.

0:45 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:47 Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds,

0:49 and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

0:52 and upon his family and Companions all together.

0:55 This

0:57 is the second recording

0:59 concerning Surah al-Baqarah

1:02 from the Graceful Commentary

1:04 on the book

1:06 "Identification Cards."

1:08 It contains three main points, as usual,

1:10 but the first point is extremely important

1:12 due to a major defect in the printed book,

1:14 which occurred in the printing

1:16 and through alterations

1:18 made by the publisher.

1:20 We have "the period in which the surah was revealed,"

1:23 which refers to

1:25 the Makkan and Madinan classification,

1:27 and we also have

1:29 "the chronological order of the surah's revelation."

1:31 If you examine Surah al-Baqarah,

1:33 you will find that "the period in which

1:35 the surah was revealed" does not appear as a heading;

1:37 instead, there is

1:39 "its order of revelation" and "its dating."

1:41 In fact, its dating and its order of revelation

1:43 are one and the same thing,

1:45 or rather both fall under a single category,

1:47 as I will clarify shortly.

1:49 Because of this, there is a major defect here:

1:51 if you turn to Surah al-Baqarah

1:53 and look

1:56 under the heading "its order of revelation,"

1:58 some text has been written,

2:00 and under the heading

2:03 "its dating," other text has been written.

2:05 The reality is that the heading "its dating,"

2:07 across almost the entire book—

2:09 though I have not checked every single page,

2:11 it appears throughout the book that "its dating"

2:13 is an error, and in its place should be written:

2:15 "the period in which it was revealed."

2:17 Thus, this surah is Madinan

2:19 by consensus, without any authentic exception.

2:21 This pertains to the period

2:23 in which it was revealed,

2:25 and for this point I relied

2:27 on the two scholarly

2:29 theses

2:31 mentioned

2:33 in the book on page ten;

2:35 likewise, both

2:37 are referenced in footnote number three

2:39 in the attached file which

2:41 I shared in the first lesson,

2:43 and perhaps I will post it here once again,

2:45 which contains the introductory portals and their scholarly sources.

2:47 As for the question of the order of revelation

2:49 and the dating of revelation, the order of revelation—which

2:51 I previously commented on in an earlier clip—

2:53 alongside the dating of revelation,

2:56 signifies chronological placement.

2:58 This order—

3:00 namely, that this surah is the eighty-sixth,

3:02 for instance, in the case of Surah al-Baqarah—

3:04 helps in determining the dating of its revelation,

3:06 though it alone is not sufficient;

3:08 rather, alongside it, the occasions of revelation

3:10 and other factors lead to establishing the dating of revelation.

3:12 Regarding the dating of revelation, if you observe

3:14 in Surah al-Baqarah,

3:16 as I mentioned, the heading "its dating"

3:18 should become "its revelation period,"

3:20 and what is there should be moved to "its order of revelation."

3:22 Its order of revelation and its dating

3:24 belong together, and the heading

3:26 I chose for it in the book is "its dating,"

3:28 which encompasses its order of revelation;

3:30 hence, it is the first surah revealed in

3:32 Madinah, and so forth.

3:34 This discussion relates,

3:46 as we have explained in detail,

3:48 to what may require listening to this

3:50 clip several times to verify the information and master it. Whoever has a question may

3:56 ask it. So this is the first point, and it is vital for understanding the entire book.

4:01 Thus, dating and the order of revelation fall under a single heading, whereas the period

4:06 in which the surah was revealed stands on its own. This period is always mentioned in

4:12 the book—for whoever possesses the complete book—in the detailed commentary at

4:18 the top of the page along with the surah's number, verse count, and juz'. The second point

4:25 pertains to the second passage of the surah, or let us say, the second section of the surah.

4:30 We spoke about the first section, the change of the Qiblah, and so forth. The second section contains

4:35 a detailed exposition of legal rulings, after hearts were prepared for them in the first

4:39 section. In it, themes from the end of the first section are reiterated: at the end

4:44 of the first section, those who conceal what Allah revealed were mentioned, and here likewise

4:48 they are mentioned at the beginning of this section, followed by the detailed rulings. This second section

4:52 extends from verse 168 to verse 207,

4:56 beginning with His saying, Exalted is He: "O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful

4:59 and good." This section addresses numerous rulings, the most prominent of which are

5:05 Hajj and fasting. One will notice the difference between the rulings contained herein

5:10 and those in the third section in tomorrow's recording, if

5:15 Allah wills. This passage extends up to the verse: "O you

5:22 who have believed, enter into Islam completely." It concludes with the verses of Hajj, and then

5:27 “And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (His) bondmen.” (2:207)

5:31 we move to the third point, which is closely linked to the second

5:34 point. We notice that when the Qur'an speaks of these

5:39 acts of worship, it differs from the way jurists speak about them.

5:44 Therefore, one ought to complete one's conception of acts of worship

5:52 through learning both the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Sunnah focuses on the outward

5:57 aspects of worship: "Pray as you have seen me pray," and

6:01 similarly, "Take from me your pilgrimage rites," among other legal injunctions.

6:05 In the Qur'an, however, there are indications of other inner dimensions that must

6:10 be observed in fasting, Hajj, and other rituals. I shall provide

6:14 an example, and then try reading these verses, for they

6:19 unveil to you the inward dimension. That is to say, when you study fiqh,

6:27 it largely relies for detailed rulings upon

6:31 the Prophetic hadiths, and this is an immense good; yet it is only

6:35 a part of the reality of that worship. The Qur'an contains

6:39 pointers to those rulings, but it also contains pointers to

6:42 something else. As I said, an example clarifies the matter.

6:46 The Exalted said: "And remember Allah during [specific] numbered days," in

6:49 the verses of Hajj in Surah al-Baqarah, "then whoever hastens in

6:52 “Remember Allah through the appointed days. Then whoso hasteneth (his departure) by two days, it is no sin for him, and whoso delayeth, it is no sin for him; that is for him who wardeth off (evil). Be careful of your duty to Allah, and know that unto Him ye will be gathered.” (2:203)

6:54 “Remember Allah through the appointed days. Then whoso hasteneth (his departure) by two days, it is no sin for him, and whoso delayeth, it is no sin for him; that is for him who wardeth off (evil). Be careful of your duty to Allah, and know that unto Him ye will be gathered.” (2:203)

6:57 to Him you will be gathered." This is a well-known fiqh ruling,

7:01 detailed in the Sunnah and discussed by the jurists: should a person

7:05 hasten or delay his departure during the days of Tashriq? Yet

7:10 the conclusion of the verse—"And fear Allah and know that

7:13 to Him you will be gathered"—is a profound sign; indeed, it holds multiple indications, of which I will mention only one:

7:18 that the dispersal of people during Hajj and their departure

7:23 from Mina, as with all the pilgrimage rites, serves as a reminder of the Resurrection.

7:28 The pilgrim ought to remember, through that gathering, the immense Day of

7:32 Gathering when Allah will assemble all creation. By

7:37 this analogy, judge these few verses concerning Hajj, and those

7:42 verses preceding them on fasting, and what

7:45 lies between them: you will find abundant indications of spiritual meanings

7:49 upon which the exegetes dwelt at great length.

7:51 Whoever wishes to truly learn their religion requires, alongside fiqh—

7:56 which is critically important—this spiritual dimension

7:59 that gives worship an entirely distinct flavor. Let us not forget,

8:05 in conclusion: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting

8:08 as it was decreed upon those before you that you may

8:10 become righteous." Notice how the words "that you may become righteous" orient fasting

8:15 toward a completely different horizon, drawing attention to a crucial dimension of fasting:

8:19 namely, God-consciousness (taqwa), the seat of which is the heart. I will suffice with

8:22 this much. May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon

8:24 his family and all his Companions. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.

The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah Al-Baqarah (2)

Transcript